Wanaka

It was only a relatively short drive from Tekapo to Wanaka, but through some quite striking terrain. Snow capped mountains were almost always present in the background, but the road was largely on the flat plain and the elevated territory was less mountainous and more of the "rolling hill" variety, but with amazing contrasts in texture and colour.

Wanaka was probably my favourite place - big enough to have pretty much everything you could want/need, including a great selection of bars, cafes and restauarants, but small enough that it didn't feel too anonymous or like a tourist spot.

The view from the balcony on our room (at The Moorings) in the morning was special - across the lake the ground rose very steeply but a thin sliver of cloud had crept across and covered the middle third of the slope. I watched it gradually move away as the sun warmed the ground and a gentle breeze slowly swept it along.